{"id":452091,"date":"2025-09-26T05:39:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T05:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/452091\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T05:39:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T05:39:20","slug":"high-street-suffers-worst-run-since-financial-crash-retail-sales-slump-for-twelfth-month-in-a-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/452091\/","title":{"rendered":"High Street suffers worst run since financial crash:\u00a0Retail sales slump for twelfth month in a row"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"author-section byline-plain\">By EMILY HAWKINS <a rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/follow?screen_name=emilyhwkns&amp;tw_p=followbutton\" class=\"twitter-follow-author\"><\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"byline-section\"> Updated:  17:01 EDT, 25 September 2025   <\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The High Street is suffering its worst run in 16 years as dark clouds gather ahead of the Budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) showed retailers have seen sales fall for 12 months in a row \u2013 the longest period of decline since 2009.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It came as fears mount over the impact of Labour\u2019s workers\u2019 rights bill on jobs and investment after last year\u2019s Budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Store chains are still reeling from the hike in National Insurance Contributions and minimum wage as well as the prospect of higher business rates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Shirine Khoury-Haq, chief executive of the Co-operative Group, said: \u2018The cost-of-living crisis is still upon us.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-58d1edd9263745ab\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/102456885-15134541-image-a-1_1758823115646.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Retail misery: Shopper stroll down Worcester High Street. A CBI report showed retailers have seen sales fall for 12 months in a row, the longest period of decline since 2009\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Retail misery: Shopper stroll down Worcester High Street. A CBI report showed retailers have seen sales fall for 12 months in a row, the longest period of decline since 2009<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">As gloom descended over the industry:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"mol-bullets-with-font\">\n<li class=\"\">Mitchell &amp; Butlers, owner of Harvester, Toby Carvery and All Bar One, said it was set for a \u00a3130million hit in 2026 due to inflation, as sales suffer in London;<\/li>\n<li>DFS boss Tim Stacey said the furniture brand was facing \u2018subdued\u2019 demand despite green shoots in the housing market;<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">Shares in Marks Electrical tumbled 16.1 per cent after shoppers scaled back on spending;<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">Starbucks is consulting on shutting \u2018some\u2019 of its 520 outlets, even as it plans to open 80 new cafes;<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">Barclays said small firms\u2019 lack of confidence and fears of tax hikes are holding back billions of pounds of investment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Businesses expect to see another month of sliding sales in October as consumer confidence darkens, the CBI said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Retailers have urged the Chancellor not to clobber them in the Budget on November 26.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Khoury-Haq yesterday cautioned \u2018there\u2019s a real dampened consumer sentiment out there\u2019, citing her own group\u2019s customer surveys. \u2018Competition is high and shoppers are sensitive to price. The cost-of-living crisis is still upon us.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Martin Sartorius, principal economist at CBI, said: \u2018The Government\u2019s fiscal decisions are continuing to bite, and retailers\u2019 struggles send a clear signal: business cannot be asked to balance the books again at the <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisismoney.co.uk\/money\/bills\/article-15061425\/Why-Budget-late-November-mean-money.html\" id=\"mol-e8708460-9a4e-11f0-ac63-c77e895274c4\" rel=\"noopener\">autumn Budget<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Bosses, including Next chief executive Lord Wolfson, have sounded the alarm over the Employment Rights Bill, warning it will make it harder to hire part-time and seasonal staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In a report, Barclays warned increased business costs have hit small business confidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Its analysis suggests that if small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were to invest at the same rate as larger firms, then roughly \u00a360billion of investment in the UK could be unlocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The bank\u2019s corporate bank chief Matt Hammerstein said: \u2018Even small improvements in SMEs\u2019 appetite to invest could have transformational impacts for the UK economy.\u2019<\/p>\n<p> Co-op&#8217;s \u00a3200m cyber hit <\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The Co-operative Group slumped to a half-year loss after a \u00a3200million-plus hit from a cyber attack in April.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The retailer lost \u00a375million in the six months to July 5, having made profits of \u00a33million a year earlier.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It said the attack knocked \u00a3206million off sales as shoppers faced empty shelves and issues with payments after the incident \u2013 when several retailers were hit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The Co-op expects a further, reduced hit in the second half. Chair Debbie White said: \u2018Our balance sheet strength and the magnificent response of our 53,000 colleagues enabled us to maintain vital services.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It has confirmed all 6.5m members had data stolen.<\/p>\n<p>  DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758865157_611_A J Bell 2022_122X84.png\" alt=\"Easy investing and ready-made portfolios\" \/>AJ Bell<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758865157_611_A J Bell 2022_122X84.png\" alt=\"Easy investing and ready-made portfolios\" \/>AJ Bell<\/p>\n<p>Easy investing and ready-made portfolios<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HL-Logo_122x84.jpg\" alt=\"Free fund dealing and investment ideas\" \/>Hargreaves Lansdown<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HL-Logo_122x84.jpg\" alt=\"Free fund dealing and investment ideas\" \/>Hargreaves Lansdown<\/p>\n<p>Free fund dealing and investment ideas<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ii_thisismoney_122x84.png\" alt=\"Flat-fee investing from \u00a34.99 per month\" \/>interactive investor<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ii_thisismoney_122x84.png\" alt=\"Flat-fee investing from \u00a34.99 per month\" \/>interactive investor<\/p>\n<p>Flat-fee investing from \u00a34.99 per month<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758865160_52_122x84 Blue.png\" alt=\"Account and trading fee-free ETF investing\" \/>InvestEngine<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758865160_52_122x84 Blue.png\" alt=\"Account and trading fee-free ETF investing\" \/>InvestEngine<\/p>\n<p>Account and trading fee-free ETF investing<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758865160_25_T212Logo_Icon_130x90.png\n\" alt=\"Free share dealing and no account fee\" \/>Trading 212<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758865160_25_T212Logo_Icon_130x90.png\n\" alt=\"Free share dealing and no account fee\" \/>Trading 212<\/p>\n<p>Free share dealing and no account fee<\/p>\n<p class=\"tim-affiliate-text\">Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisismoney.co.uk\/money\/diyinvesting\/article-1718291\/Pick-best-cheapest-investment-Isa-platform.html?ico=tim-affiliate_desktop_bottom-link-click\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"optional-btn-wrapper\" rel=\"noopener\">Compare the best investing account for you <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Share or comment on this article:<br \/>\n                        High Street suffers worst run since financial crash:\u00a0Retail sales slump for twelfth month in a row<\/p>\n<p>        <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By EMILY HAWKINS Updated: 17:01 EDT, 25 September 2025 The High Street is suffering its worst run in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452092,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3090],"tags":[51,1700,1232,1284,1283,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-452091","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-economy","10":"tag-money","11":"tag-moneymarkets","12":"tag-thisismoney","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115268994447370114","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}